Play Ball – Using a Therapy Ball Therapeutically by Andy Albrecht, DPT, PCS Kids Place Central Clinic Manager Of the many pieces of equipment used on a daily basis as a pediatric physical therapist, one of my absolute favorites is the therapy ball. Not only is the ball fun and exciting for kiddos to use,…
Post-Partum Strengthening and Return to Exercise After nine months of carrying your baby to maturity, it is time to get into a healthy routine of physical activity and wellness. During pregnancy, your body produces increased levels of estrogen and relaxin hormones, resulting in loose ligaments throughout the body. Increased slack at a joint can result…
To register for Stop Back Pain NOW Workshop, please click here. Description of stretches: Trunk rotations Start by standing tall with your arms together and out in front of you Swing one of your arms like you are opening the page of a book, keeping the other pointed straight forward Go as far as you…
Backpack Back Pain: Protecting Your Child’s Back from Their Own Backpacks It is the time of year again when we trade our kid’s swimming suits and flip flops for uniforms and backpacks. The beginning of the school year brings with it an increase in back pain by school-aged children. Unfortunately, many of our children suffer…
Outpatient Occupational Therapy vs. School-Based Occupational Therapy By Jeanette Mangano, DPT Kids Place West Pediatric Physical Therapist As children are preparing for the start of a new school year, parents often ask about the difference between school-based occupational therapy and Kids Place, an outpatient occupational therapy clinic. The answer can be somewhat confusing. The Role…
Chronic Low Back Pain By AZOPT Physical Therapists As we learned in the last blog, there are two types of low back pain (LBP) – acute and chronic. Acute back pain is sudden and can last from a few days to a few weeks. Chronic low back pain typically lasts longer than 3 months. For a review on…
Acute Back Pain By AZOPT Goodyear Physical Therapists If you have ever experienced low back pain, then you know that it can be debilitating. According to Medlineplus.com, 8 out of 10 individuals experience back pain at some point in their lives. In fact, the second leading reason why Americans visit their health care provider is due…
Unusual Causes of Low Back Pain By Pamela Guevarra, PT, DPT AZOPT Physical Therapist There is no one, specific cause of low back pain. Several reasons, including a herniated disc pushing on a nerve, the normal aging process (osteoarthritis), and faulty posture, can contribute to pain in the low back. These are only a few…
Torticollis, literally translating to ‘wry neck,’ is a condition in which a child’s neck is typically flexed or bent in one direction and rotated in the other direction. This is due to a muscle in the neck, called the sternocleidomastoid, which has become shortened, strained, or weakened. This results in an abnormal posture of the…
Static Lower Body Stretches Description of stretches Half kneeling hip flexor stretch Begin by placing one knee on a soft surface or a pad with your opposite foot positioned forward on the floor Lunge your weight forward until a mild/moderate stretch is felt on the hip that is down on the mat Hold for 20…
